The honest answers.

It isn't, because the planes are flying anyway. Empty legs happen when our jets reposition between paid charters or return to base. The fuel and crew are already paid for — selling the seat to a member generates revenue against costs we'd otherwise eat. Membership fees fund the platform; flights are essentially free at point of consumption because the marginal cost of carrying you is near zero.

Empty legs leave when and where the aircraft already needs to be. You don't pick the date or the route — you watch what's posted and claim what works. Members who can be flexible (retired, remote work, second-home owners) get the most out of the club. Members with rigid travel schedules will be frustrated. We'd rather tell you that up front.

It depends entirely on your route preferences and flexibility. Members with broad route flexibility (any East Coast city pair) typically claim 3–6 flights per year. Members tied to specific city pairs may claim 1–3. The release-to-auction mechanic means even unused claims can pay you out.

Yes. When you claim a leg, the entire aircraft is yours. Bring family, friends, colleagues, pets — up to the aircraft's seat capacity at no additional cost. The only stipulation is that you (the member) must be on the flight.

Empty legs are one-way. Your return is your responsibility. Many members watch for return-leg empty flights, book commercial, or coordinate with friends. Legacy tier members get concierge support for return logistics. Be honest with yourself about whether the one-way mechanic works with your travel.

Empty legs depend on the original charter that created them. If that charter cancels, the empty leg disappears. We'll notify you immediately and refund any taxes you paid. The member who lost the flight gets priority on the next matching empty leg.

Citation tier covers Cessna Citation Excel and Citation Sovereign aircraft (mid and super-mid). Legacy tier adds the Embraer Legacy 500 — our super-mid with 9 passengers, 3,125nm range, stand-up cabin, and full refreshment service. All flights are MiaJets-operated under FAA Part 135 with two-pilot crews. See the fleet in detail →

If you claim a leg and your plans change, you can release it back to the pool up to 24 hours before departure. The flight enters a Dutch auction visible to other members and registered bidders. The price drops on a schedule. When someone claims at the current price, you receive 50% of the clearing amount via ACH within 7 days. The other 50% goes to the platform. Read the full release-to-auction explainer →

It starts at 60% of the equivalent retail charter price for that route and aircraft, then steps down on a fixed schedule: 50% at 18 hours before departure, 40% at 12 hours, 32% at 8 hours, 28% at 6 hours, 25% at the floor (4 hours before departure). The 25% floor exists because the operator still has direct costs on the leg — fuel, crew time, FBO fees, segment charges, FET. Below that the auction expires and you get a full refund of the taxes you originally paid. Most clearings happen between 30% and 40% of retail.

Probably yes. The auction split makes aspirational claims economically rational — if you can fly, you fly nearly free; if you can't, the auction usually clears above your tax cost and you net a profit on the release. Most members who release at least one flight per year recover more than their full membership fee.

Vaunt is the closest comparable product — both are subscription memberships that release empty repositioning legs to members. The two differ on price ($239–$699/year here vs $2,995/year for Vaunt per flyvaunt.com), geography (East Coast vs continental U.S.), operator model (single Part 135 carrier vs third-party network), claim mechanic (direct claim vs waitlist lottery), and cancellation handling (cash auction payout here vs waitlist priority adjustment with Vaunt). We've published a side-by-side that's explicit about which membership fits which kind of flier. Read the Empty Leg Club vs Vaunt comparison →

Be honest with yourself about whether MiaJets' East Coast inventory matches your travel patterns. If you regularly fly to the western U.S., a national-footprint product like Vaunt likely makes more sense for those routes. The two memberships are independent — you can belong to both, and the combined annual cost is still less than a single retail charter on most routes either club covers.

Memberships are 12-month commitments billed either annually upfront or monthly. You can cancel renewal at any time during your term — your access continues until the end of the 12 months and won't auto-renew. We don't offer mid-term refunds. We send a renewal reminder 30 days before your term ends with your year's flying summary.

Annual upfront is cheaper ($239 Citation vs $359 effective annual cost on monthly; $699 Legacy vs $1,049). Both options require the same 12-month commitment. Monthly is just a financing convenience, not an escape hatch.

Credit and debit cards via Stripe for the membership subscription and per-flight tax payments. ACH bank transfer for the platform's payouts to you on auction earnings. Bidders fund their deposits via verified ACH bank account.

Yes — corporate programs run at the annual rate ($239 Citation, $699 Legacy 500), billed monthly to a single corporate invoice. Seats are committed for 12 months at the seat level, not at the employee level, so they reassign cleanly on turnover. 5-seat program minimum. Each covered employee gets a personal account in their own name. See the corporate program →

It keeps the matching ratios honest. The club has a fixed inventory ceiling each month and we cap membership against fleet capacity. If a household holds two memberships, they'd get double notifications and effectively double their odds — which is unfair to other members. Family members can be added as authorized guests on a single membership at no charge.

No. Memberships are individual. You can bring guests, gift the flight to family, share the cost privately — but you can't list a claimed leg on a third-party platform or charge non-network buyers. Brokers caught reselling have memberships terminated and forfeit any pending auction earnings.

Members with chronic high release rates without ever flying get gradually deprioritized in notifications. The release mechanic is meant for plans that legitimately change, not as a profit center for someone who has no intention of flying. We make this judgment heuristically; nothing happens automatically — but the system rewards members who actually use the club.